Holly Thomas headlines softball team awards

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- After one of the most successful careers in
Tennessee Tech softball history, Holly Thomas has been named the
Most Valuable Player for the 2012 season by head coach Tory
Acheson.

The Ooltewah, Tenn. native also took the title of Best Pitcher,
racking up 20 wins for the Golden Eagles.

Chanelle Spalding was named Best Offensive Player and Cassie
Garrett was named the Best Defensive Infielder while Angi Sakamoto
was named both the Best Defensive Outfielder and Freshman of the
Year. Christian Gibbs took the title of Most Improved and Brooke
Basten won the Coach's Award.

Thomas wrapped up her career with a stunning display of pitching
at the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference tournament, in which she won
four of her five decisions, defeating each of the top four seeds.
She struck out 158 batters in her 38 appearances on the year. Her
opponents batting average of .204 ranked the best in the
conference. Thomas led the Golden Eagles in every pitching
category, hurling three shutouts and 23 complete games in 218.2
innings in the circle.

Sakamoto made a stellar impression in her freshman campaign,
tallying a team-high eight doubles and third-best 20 runs batted
in. She was the only player on the team to start each of Tech's 59
games on the year and committed just four errors in left field.
Leading the squad with nine sacrifice hits, the Waipahu, Hawaii
native was also hit by pitches a team-high eight time.

Chanelle Spalding was continued her consistent career at the
plate, batting .287 with seven doubles. She drove in 14 runs and
scored 26 times. She drew a team-high 21 walks and stole five bases
in her junior season.

Garrett's presence was made known around the league in her first
season as a Golden Eagle. She helped turn 11 double plays on the
year and had a fielding percentage of .948 at a mix of second base
and shortstop.

After not seeing action in her first year at Tech, Gibbs played
a vital role in clutch situations. In back-to-back games against
OVC foe SIU-Edwardsville, she was called upon to pinch hit with the
bases loaded. In both occurances, she drew RBI walks, aiding Tech
in winning both contests.

Basten took home the Coach's Award, given to the player who
demonstrates the most heart. A senior from Green Bay, Wis., Basten
showed tremendous leadership over the course of the season, helping
to lead the Golden Eagles to the OVC Championship game. Brooke was
also named to the OVC All-Tournament team for her efforts.